The sperm count of men in Western countries has been declining precipitously with no signs of “leveling off,” according to new research, bolstering that a school of thought that male health in the modern world is at risk, possibly threatening fertility. Decreasing sperm count was first reported a quarter century ago, but the new analysis shows that “this decline is strong and continuing,” said Shanna Swan, PhD, professor of environmental medicine and public health, obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and one of the study’s authors. The downtrend in sperm count seen in Western countries suggests that “chemicals in commerce” are playing a role, Dr. Swan added. While this survey did not focus on the causes of these declines, its authors pointed to existing research that showed that exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol and chemicals while in utero, as well as stress, obesity and age, were factors in the drop.